I’m back in the house after 1 and a half hours plowing and shoveling from a huge snowstorm. I was cold, and it was a little difficult, but I was actually pretty happy with a song in my head I couldn’t get rid of. For some reason Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble in the World” stayed with me as I was outside in the snow.

Actually, the song is very apropos for what is going on at the moment! We have severe damaging weather events, a shitshow in our new Congress, a possible default on our national debt propelled by Congress which could push us toward a recession, a divided America, and a terrible situation in Ukraine. The list is long!

“You see men sailing on their ego trip
Blast off on their spaceship
Million miles from reality
No care for you, no care for me“

A verse from “So Much Trouble in the World.”

This is the only known live performance of “So Much Trouble in The World.”

It is very easy to feel the present moment is not helpful for creating a state of bliss…contentment… delight or elation. Obviously, the meaning of happiness is subjective at best. My plan is to assemble a few more personal happiness building blocks such as more meaningful connections, interaction with my family, charitable actions, creative pursuits, more outside walks, riding my bike, and travel.

Yale Professor Laurie Santos began her course, “Psychology and the Good Life”, in 2018. It became the most popular class in Yale’s history. People at every level are feeling more stress and anxiety leading to less happiness. A 2022 Ipsos survey found fewer than 20% of Americans said they were very happy and 25% of U.S. adults said they were too stressed to function properly.

I listened to Laurie Santos and her video interview for Evidence-Based Strategies for Being Happy. I Marla and I loved her thoughts about success, parenting, the effects of social media, the uses of our phones, intentional attention, the fleeting “I’ll be happy when ???”, and so many other areas to help us on our journey. We found this fascinating and inspiring! It is a long video so you might listen in segments.

The January 16th Time Magazine devotes the whole issue to “The Secrets of Happiness Experts.” The graph above was compiled from a survey of 18 leading happiness experts.

Judith Moskowitz writes in Time Magazine, “The Key to enduring happiness is not to rid your life of negative emotions; instead, the goal is to also experience positive emotions even in the midst of difficulties.” She writes about an abolitionist, feminist, and human-rights crusader, Sojourner Truth, (pictured above) who wrote in 1867: “Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight for freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me. I really need to listen to this advice more often!

Travel is one of my favorite happiness building ingredients to elevate the spirit and put a smile on my face! It can be a neighborhood walk, riding my bike, a trip across town… or out of the country.

“If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, a much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get off the couch, move.” Anthony Bourdain.

I’ll share one of my very favorite blog posts from 2018. Click on this link: Anthony Bourdain Travel, Food, and Life Quotes with images by yours truly. I love his quotes!

Photos: Dick Gentry, CNN, Time Magazine.